


When You Hear Hoofbeats

by DocileBoy



Category: Carol (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Equestrian, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-13 05:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12977127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DocileBoy/pseuds/DocileBoy
Summary: Girls who like girls who like horses.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will take liberties with some famous horse people and Olympic medalists, but it's all in good fun!

It must be something, Therese thought as she snagged the lead of the loose horse as it ambled past, to lose an animal like this one.It must be something to own an animal like this one; tall and powerful, the mare’s smoky gray coat gleamed in the late afternoon sun.The mare shook her head, flopping part of her short, black mane to the wrong side of her neck.With one finger, Therese traced the cowlick on the strong neck that looked to be the sole imperfection on this magnificent animal, and the mare bumped her muzzle in to Therese’s other hand, apparently of the opinion that one finger was not enough attention, thank you kindly.The shiny brass plate on her leather halter read: ‘The Grey’.

 

Leaning against the fence of a small round pen, scratching The Grey’s jaw, Therese kept an eye on the crowd of people and horses, knowing that someone had to come looking.As it was, she was surprised that there weren’t people swarming all over, looking for the mare.As a decent judge of horses, Therese reckoned that trying to take off with this animal would be the equivalent of driving a brand new Aston Martin off the lot without paying.

 

She smirked when a tall, slender blonde woman, half dressed for competition, stalked out of the crowd, her head on a swivel.Therese could see the relief that slid through her when she spotted them, and as she headed towards them, her stalk turned into a saunter.A different kind of stalk, and just as predatory, Therese thought.Her smirk was short lived, because as the other woman met her eyes, Therese felt her face go slack and hot, sweat suddenly pricking at her hairline, and the noise of the busy show grounds faded away.This was an angel, surely, striding through the mess and dirt that was a fact of life around horses; as perfect as her mare, dusty, well-worn boots the only flaw Therese could see.

 

“I see you’ve made a new friend,” the woman said, her voice rich and smooth, a smile stretching her generous mouth ever so slightly.The Grey’s ears pricked up, and she turned her head towards the woman, making a soft horse-noise of greeting in her throat.

 

Somehow, Therese found her voice.“Are you talking to me, or her?” she asked, extending her hand holding the mare’s lead toward the other woman so that she might take it.She didn’t reclaim her horse, buther smile deepened, creating little lines around her blue, blue eyes that Therese wanted to trace with her fingers.She looked away, down at her hands, seeing the dirt under her fingernails and the ragged cuticles.Not hands that would ever have occasion to touch creatures like these, neither woman, nor mare, once her owner allowed Therese to relinquish the lead, at least.

 

“Perhaps I’m talking to both of you,” the woman said, leaning against her horse’s gleaming shoulder, heedless of her pristine white blouse.It seemed to be a familiar pose as The Grey tolerated it without even shifting her weight.

 

The woman wasn’t as tall as Therese had first thought - the top of her head level with the big mare’s withers - making it easy for their eyes to meet.Her gaze was arresting, and she was waiting for something, probably Therese to say something, to act like she had any sense. 

 

Finally, when the silence became too much to bear, and the woman didn’t seem inclined to take pity on her, Therese managed a shrug.“It isn’t everyday an animal like this walks in to your life.Who was I to refuse her?”

 

The woman laughed like she was delighted, like Therese has just said the cleverest thing she’s ever heard, just tilted her head back and let out a happy sound that made Therese smile, too.It would have been impossible to stop herself.Smiles have been rare for Therese lately, and the ease of this one surprised her.

 

“Thank you for keeping my Grey out of trouble,” the woman said, a small, secret smile playing on her lips again.“She tends to find it more often than any other horse I’ve worked with.I don’t know what I would have done had something happened to her.”

 

The woman stuck out a hand for Therese to shake.“I’m Carol Aird, and you’ve already met my erstwhile steed, The Grey.”Therese took the hand, pleased to feel callouses in all the right places for a horsewoman to have them, and also, for some reason, pleased to see that the short nails, while painted a pleasing shade of coral, were chipped at the edges.A manicure that could survive a day at the barn did not exist, even if you were a perfect woman with a perfect horse.

 

“I’m Therese Belivet,” said Therese.“Rescuer of erstwhile steeds, apparently.”The woman’s, Carol’s, eyebrows rose at her pronunciation.

 

“Terezz,” Carol pronounced, drawing out the last syllable, her eyes soft and half closed like she was tasting something very fine and savoring it.Her expression made heat rush into Therese’s cheeks once more.“It’s very nice to meet you, Therese Belivet.What brings you to this little corner of the show jumping world?”

 

Therese managed to stammer answers to Carol’s questions, which weren’t rapid fire, but might as well have been, considering the state she was in, still tongue-tied and dazed by the other woman’s poise and beauty.She was a groom, and had just finished a one day job as an extra pair of hands for a trainer running four students and twice as many mounts through the training and low classes.It had been a busy day, full of spoiled riders and fussy horses.She had been working hunter/jumper events in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all season.Luckily the questions ended before Therese spilled out her life story and the fact that she hadn’t lined up any work for the rest of the year.Had Carol asked, she would have told, she had no doubt.Emotionally, Therese had always played her cards close to the vest.She was a product of her upbringing - a childhood with a single, distracted parent, traveling from track to track.Everything in a constant state of flux except her dad, and the horses.It was exciting to meet someone who, with a single look, had her talking more than she had to anyone all summer.It was also terrifying.Therese didn’t know that she had ever been vulnerable in this way before.

 

Carol was looking at her consideringly now and Therese found herself simultaneously overjoyed that Carol hadn’t taken her horse and walked away, and frightened that whatever would come out of Carol’s mouth next would hurt her in a way Therese had been unaware she could be hurt.

 

“If you’re otherwise unengaged for the rest of the afternoon and evening, would you mind assisting me?I would be happy to pay you a full day’s rate, plus tip.”

 

“Oh,” Therese said, relieved, but also disappointed somehow.“That would be too much for two or three hours work, Ms. Aird.Especially if its just the one horse.”

 

Carol scowled at her, just a bit, it was enough to make Therese want to apologize and say that sure, she would take a full day’s pay to assist one rider and an easy-going horse for two rounds in the ring.

 

But then Carol smiled again, not a fake smile, either, as her eyes crinkled up in exactly the same way that had so captivated Therese a few minutes before.

 

“It’s Carol, please,” she said in that honey-rich voice that slid along Therese’s bones and sent a pleasant shiver running along her skin.Then, Carol laid her fingers on Therese’s wrist, insistent.“Please.The young man that I had hired for the day turned tail and ran rather than face me when it became apparent that half a ton of horse had gone missing on his watch, and I’m quite without assistance today.”

 

How could Therese refuse that?She wanted to haggle over the price, though she didn’t know that she could handle being scowled at again, no matter how slight.She wouldn’t push, but she could open the door.

 

“Ok,” agreed Therese.“But I don’t like accepting money for work I haven’t done.”

 

“Noted,” Carol said, not scowling this time.She looked pleased, actually.“You could think of it as a finder’s fee, since you did, as you said, rescue my erstwhile steed.”

 

Therese smiled, pleased that she had been able to play the rescuer in some small way and it had brought this woman to her.

 

Carol pushed away from The Grey’s shoulder, and turned.“My van is just over this way,” she said over her shoulder.Therese fell in to step beside her, leading the tall mare, as easily as if she had been doing it forever.

 

Carol led her to a small horse coach with a tiny, built-in living quarters.It wasn’t fancy - not like some of the set-ups she’d encountered when she was working on the Arabian show circuit - but it was neat and well maintained, which is what really mattered, in Therese’s mind.

 

Therese fell into familiarity and took charge of The Grey while Carol got herself together.She tied the mare to the trailer, procured the brush caddy from the storage locker, and set to work.There wasn’t much to do, truthfully, so after running a soft brush over the big horse’s body, she checked her hooves, picked some hay out of her tail, and cleaned the crud from the corners of her mouth. 

 

There was only one saddle, one bridle and one martingale, all the same dark brown leather, clean, well-oiled and neatly kept, just like the van, and the brushes, and everything else that Therese could see around them.

 

She worked slowly, appreciating the smell of clean horse and good leather, sweeping the chambray blue saddle pad over The Grey’s back, and then making sure it and the saddle were positioned comfortably behind her withers.The big horse was surprisingly easy to work with, bringing her head down to a less stratospheric level so Therese could get the bridle over her ears and standing patiently while Therese fussed with her thick black forelock, she even beseechingly bumped Therese with her forehead when she stopped fussing.The Grey liked attention.

 

“You’re just a sweet girl, aren’t you,” Therese cooed, and The Grey let out a soft huff as if she agreed.Behind them, Carol chuckled.

 

For the second time in less than an hour, Therese was struck dumb by Carol Aird. There were a lot of show jumpers that had their own ‘style’, usually involving garishly colored shirts or gaudy tie pins. But Carol didn’t need to be loud to be noticed.She was pure elegance in brown leather boots that matched The Grey’s tack, and a blue chambray coat that matched the mare’s saddle pad.Gleaming gold hair peeked out from under a helmet that was, instead of the usual black, what appeared to be a very dark bronze.A subtle gold pin secured her tie, and gold glinted at her cuffs teasingly.Therese had been working hunter/jumper events for nearly nine months, and she had never seen anyone who looked as good as Carol in their show get-up.

 

“She doesn’t need any boots or leg wraps?” Therese asked, trying desperately to focus on the work, on the horse and on the mini-prix that would cap off the day and the show season for this little equestrian center nestled on the edge of the Adirondacks.

 

Carol shook her head, looking at Therese in a way that was almost fond, her eyes soft under the brim of her helmet and a curve to her lips, the merest suggestion of what looked to be a habitual expression.Tearing her gaze away, Therese busied herself with checking The Grey’s girth, tightening it a notch.Carol was right behind her when she finished tending to the horse. 

 

“Would you mind giving me a leg up,” she murmured.Therese nodded mutely and stepped away, allowing Carol to position herself next to the saddle.The other woman bent her left leg expectantly, and Therese stooped a bit and grasped the smooth leather boot with both hands.Her face was inches from Carol’s shapely rear-end.Therese knew she had to be turning a shade of red previously thought impossible for the human body.She boosted Carol into the saddle just like she was supposed to, just as she had done a million times with a million other people who didn’t turn her insides into embarrassed gelatin.When she looked up at the woman, she had that fond look on her face again, this time with a hint of mischief in her half smile.

 

“Would you grab the little caddy and meet me at the warm-up ring?”Therese nodded dumbly and watched as Carol gathered up The Grey’s reins, settled herself in the saddle, and walked off.She noticed the little caddy with brushes and products for potential messes or hair emergencies sitting on top of a mounting block not three feet away.

 

***

 

Therese watched, spellbound, as Carol and The Grey warmed up for their two rounds in the mini-prix, the show’s culminating event.She’d learned a lot about show jumping over the course of the season, watching the riders, their horses, and the trainers.It was clear that Carol was a professional, and that The Grey was an exceptionally well trained animal.The way she carried herself, and the way she was paying attention to the woman on her back spoke of long days working together, and working on things other than just jumping.Therese wondered if Carol had trained the mare herself, though theirs was an impressive relationship regardless.

 

Just as Carol and The Grey were oblivious to the more frenetic pace of the people in the ring around the, Therese was oblivious to the man on a horse bearing down on her from outside the ring.

 

“Terry,” he called down from the back of his big, bay gelding that Therese secretly felt sorry for.“I thought you were going to come hang out while I did my thing in the prix?”

 

She bit back a sigh.She’d met Richard at a show a few months ago, and they’d encountered one another on a number of weekends since.Therese was always working, and Richard was always decidedly not working, but he didn’t talk down to her, mostly, and he had taken her to a few of the afterparties that the bigger shows held for contestants.Therese couldn’t really figure out what he wanted with her, well other than a female hanger-on, and sex, but Therese always stubbornly pretended to not understand when he propositioned her, and clearly she was much too distracted by people much more interesting than Richard to be a proper hanger-on.But Richard stubbornly persisted with trying to impress her.

 

“I’m sorry, Richard.”She wasn’t sorry, but she apologized anyway.And didn’t he need to be getting his horse ready for the competition?“I found another bit of work for the afternoon, and I didn’t have time to come find you.”

 

Richard looked disappointed in the way that all rich boys looked when you took something they wanted away from them.Therese had plenty of experience, between the horse racing scene, and the Arabian scene, with rich boys who wanted things.

 

“Who needed a groom this late in the day?”

 

“Carol Aird,” she said, and with her mouth open to make a quip about the previous hapless groom losing his charge, she noticed Richard’s expression turn stormy.

 

“You should stay away from her, Therese,” he admonished.“She doesn’t have a great reputation.”

 

Therese shook her head.“She’s been nothing but nice to me, and I don’t base my opinions of people on rumors.”Frankly, Carol could be a reputed axe-murderer, and Therese probably wouldn’t care.

 

“Well, you should care Therese, because she’s a lesbian, and a cheater.You have to learn that reputation is everything in the horse world, and hanging around her won’t be good for yours.”He didn’t specify what sort of cheating he meant.Marital?Horse doping?She wasn’t going to ask, but color Therese absolutely unsurprised that the first time she challenged his opinion, Richard talked down to her.And color her mostly surprised at the tidbit about Carol’s sexuality.She wanted to mull it over.She didn’t want Richard watching her while she did so.She raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“Don’t you have a horse to warm up?” She asked.He huffed and turned his horse away.

 

She studied her feet as he rode away, her mind churning.Was Carol really gay?Had she been flirting with Therese, while Therese had been so awestruck and moony that it had been hard for her to really parse what was going on?Why was she so thrilled to think it was possible that Carol had been flirting with her?What did it mean for her?It seemed ridiculous that she was 25 and having some sort of revelation about her sexuality after 30 minutes of interaction with a woman, but the truth was that Therese had never really been gaga over anyone that didn’t have four legs and neigh.She might be gaga over Carol.

 

Therese took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scents of horses and dust and then exhaled.She didn’t have to figure this out now.

 

***

When it was time for Carol to walk the course she and The Grey would be jumping, she looked at Therese strangely after dismounting.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked in a low voice, standing close and catching and meeting Therese’s gaze with her own.

 

“Yes, of course,” answered Therese without thinking.She didn’t know if she really was, but she was alright enough to keep The Grey moving while her rider did what she needed to do.

 

“Was Richard Semco bothering you?”Carol really looked concerned, like she was worried Richard had done something untoward and Therese felt she had to grin and bear it.

 

“Not at all.I mean, he can be a bother, but it’s not important.”Therese tried a smile, worried that whatever turmoil she was experiencing was showing on her face, and giving Carol cause to worry when really, all the trouble was in Therese’s head.Plus, she had almost said ‘he’s not important,’ which was true, but was a little on the nose for the situation Therese had found herself in.

 

Carol examined her face intently, searching for deception, or something, there.

 

“Really, Carol, I’m fine,” Therese assured her.“Please go walk the course before you miss out, and I’ll keep this lady moving until you’re ready for her.”Therese patted The Grey’s neck, now warm with exertion.

 

Carol’s gaze remained unwavering for a moment more before she nodded briskly and turned on the heel of her polished brown boot.Therese watched her stalk off and walked the big mare in the other direction.Just like any athlete, her muscles needed to be kept warm to prevent injury.She walked the horse in a large circle, talking softly to her, ignoring the dozen other grooms at the same task, all while wondering how this day had taken such an odd turn.

 

Carol was all business when she returned from walking the course.Therese didn’t mind; the laser focus of a professional horse-person at a competition was so familiar as to be comforting.Carol remounted with her help, and Therese set about giving her boots a quick polish to rid them of the dust from the ring and took a soft rag to the corners of The Grey’s mouth to wipe away the green gunk that was an inevitability when you were working with soft-mouthed, well-trained horses.

 

“Do you need anything else?” Therese asked when she had finished her little bit of fiddling.In truth, Carol and The Grey were as well put together as any pair she had ever seen, and that wasn’t about looking perfect, that was due to the rapport the woman had with the horse, and the confidence with which they worked together.

 

Carol shook her head.“Watch the rounds for me - keep an eye out for any trouble spots,” she said, then turned The Grey away, moving off at a slow trot.

 

Therese stood dumbly as the pair moved off.Carol didn’t even know if she could ride, and wanted her to give advice on the course before their turn?It seemed like a reckless thing, to trust someone you didn’t know much about with something so important. Despite her misgivings, Therese moved toward the rail that separated the ring from the warm up area.The first of the riders was entering the ring for their first round.

 

Of course there was a trouble spot.On a bent line between fences six and seven.Therese spotted it when two horses in a row took fence seven on the wrong lead, ending up with a rail down because of the awkward take-off.

 

When she told Carol, who was riding sixth in the field of twelve, Carol nodded and said: “I expected that would be the case.Thank you for confirming it for me.” She smiled at at Therese, then turned her attention back to the ring where rider number five was finishing their first round within the time limit, but a rail down on fence seven.Thus far, no one had jumped clean.

 

Horse number five left the ring.At a nod from the gate attendant, Carol urged The Grey forward at a trot.A whistle of appreciation sounded from the crowd as Carol circled in front of the small set of bleachers and picked up a canter.

 

They were perfect together.Therese could think of no other way to put it.The big horse was more graceful than an animal that size had any right to be, and Carol was like something out of a dream.They glided through the first five fences, and as they approached fence six, Therese held her breath.They went over it cleanly, but The Grey landed on the wrong lead and Therese’s heart fell.The mare was a big jumper, and might be able get over the next fence cleanly, but the angle was also awkward, making it harder to avoid the rail unless the take off was otherwise perfect.

 

But then Carol did something that Therese, and the crowd, wasn’t expecting.For a single stride, it was like The Grey was hanging in mid-air.A stride during which she changed leads.Therese hadn’t even noticed her check the mare’s speed or the signal for a lead change.It was impressive enough that someone in the crowd whistled again, and there was a smattering of applause.The pair approached fence seven and cleared it with room to spare, Carol and The Grey moving in effortless union.

 

They finished their round in the same style, floating over and between the fences, the big horse’s stride length giving the illusion of slowness when in reality they were moving at a considerable clip, and Carol looking as though it was all beneath her, somehow.Like she was an angel who came to Earth for thissingle purpose - to jump a clean round on a magnificent horse. 

 

As Carol completed the habitual circle after completing her round, bring The Grey back to a trot, her gaze met Therese’s.Therese could see the satisfied smile on the other woman’s lips, and could see the wink that was surely directed at her as Carol rode by.The tiny gesture made Therese’s heart flutter uncontrollably.

 

After leaving the ring, Carol rode over to where Therese was standing.She was no longer smiling, but her eyes had a twinkle that was unmistakeable.

 

“Would you like me to walk her while you watch the rest of the rounds?”Therese asked.She didn’t want to say anything about their clean round and jinx it.Or to distract Carol by gushing about how magical those eleven jumps had been.

 

“You watch,” Carol said, that secret half-smile that was beginning to become familiar to Therese turning up the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.She turned The Grey away and walked off.

 

Only one other person jumped clean.And it was Richard.Of course it was Richard.Despite his expensive horse and well-credentialed trainer, she hadn’t seen Richard jump clean all season.Maybe he rode better when he was angry.Two riders with the same score meant a jump-off.

 

The fence order for the shortened course was announced, and Therese watched as Carol closed her eyes and visualized the route and the fences.For jump-off rounds, no course walk was allowed.The rider who had the fastest time and the fewest faults would win.

 

Carol’s focus was diamond hard, and Therese found herself impressed.She did what she needed to do before her two charges went in the ring - they were riding first - namely, checking The Grey’s hooves for stray stones, and checking to be sure her girth was still tight, and she could tell that Carol’s mind was in another place, in the ring, riding the round in her mind to cement the route before they had to jump.

 

Carol and The Grey entered the ring, circled, and began.This round didn’t appear leisurely as the other one had, like they could jump all day without a care in the world.This round left no doubt in Therese’s mind that Carol was a professional.Fast lines, tight turns and clean fences meant that the pair jumped clean, again, with a time that their competition would be hard pressed to beat with no faults.

 

Therese could see Carol visibly relax when she heard the announcement of ‘no faults’ as she and The Grey were circling to leave the ring.She was smiling broadly, the almost adamantine focus gone now that her part in the competition was done.She didn’t stop near Therese this time, just continued on to the warm-up area to keep the horse moving, winking at Therese again as their eyes met.Therese felt flushed and guilty all at once.Flustered at the attention, and guilty that she didn’t have to ask if Carol wanted her to walk the horse so she could watch Richard’s round.Therese wanted to watch Richard’s round.

 

After the second fence, Therese wanted to stop watching Richard’s round.To put it simply, he choked.Every single fence was a cringing disaster.Richard rode like a complete novice, throwing his horse around the course like the world’s worst barrel racer.Richard could be sloppy and inconsiderate of his mount, but there was no excuse for this, whatever it was.He got through the course, but with two rails down and a run-out.Therese felt sorry for his horse.

 

The silence as Richard slunk through the gate and out of the ring was deafening.No one was looking at him, which Therese thought was probably for the best.Richard was looking, though.Glaring, really.Over at Carol, who was circling The Grey on a loose lead, waiting for the show staff to announce the winner of the mini-prix, not paying any attention to the lack of reaction over at the ring to Richard’s round.What a sore loser.

 

Of course, only a few minutes later, Carol was announced as the winner.She walked back over to Therese, who couldn’t help but grin back.She stepped up to the mare’s shoulder and laid a hand on her neck.

 

“Do you need anything before your victory lap?There’s a bottle of water in the caddy.”

 

Carol nodded, still grinning.Therese turned away and bent to retrieve the water bottle and a clean rag.

 

“Thank you,” Carol said softly as Therese handed the bottle up to her, their eyes meeting.Therese broke the gaze, trying not to blush, and busied herself dusting off Carol’s boots.It was odd how eye-contact with Carol effected her so strongly, even over the most insignificant things.It was odd how in a few hours, Therese’s frame of reference had shifted to encompass this woman who she only knew as an extraordinary horsewoman and a bit of a flirt.

 

***

Leaning against the railing of the ring, Therese watched as Carol and The Grey stood in front of a jump emblazoned with the name of the equestrian center and what she presumed were the show’s biggest sponsors.It was part of the hoopla for events that awarded money - photo-ops, branded gifts, and etc.Though there was an awful lot more picture taking going on than usual.Some of the spectators had even braved the sands to take a picture of Carol and a beribboned Grey.Therese chuckled when the mare bent her neck to try to take the annoying, fluttering thing between her teeth.

 

Once the photo taking had died down, the loudspeaker crackled to life.

 

“And now taking their victory lap, winners of the third annual Storm King Equestrian Center Fall Mini-prix: Carol Phipps Aird, Olympic gold medalist, and her five year old Selle Francais mare, The Grey.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Therese was quiet as they walked back to Carol’s van.She was leading The Grey, and Carol’s arms were full of the silly swag they loaded people up with when they competed at shows like these.Their interactions were coming to a natural close as the show day ended.Therese was desperately afraid of that happening.She wanted to tell Carol how amazing this day had been, how amazing she was, and that Therese herself would never be the same.But she was also embarrassed that she seemed to be the only person in this little corner of the world who didn’t know who Carol was.

Carol was quiet, too. Therese didn’t know if she was following her lead, or if the other woman just didn’t have anything to say to her.

“Will you untack her while I heat up some water for a mash?” Carol asked softly, breaking the silence. 

Therese nodded her assent, unwilling to try her voice, afraid it would betray her somehow.That her confusion and desire would come spilling out and she wouldn’t be able to stem the flow.

“If you’re comfortable, there is liniment and bandage material in one of the compartments,” Carol added, with a side-long glance her way.Therese could read the curiosity on Carol’s face.What a strange girl she must appear to be to this confident woman who seemed to always hold her head high, to always occupy the space around her with confidence.

“Yes, of course,” she managed to say, her voice sounding harsh and croaky to her own ears.She needed to pull it together so she and Carol didn’t part with Carol thinking poorly of her.She met Carol’s eyes and smiled, trying to communicate that Carol should be confident in her abilities, even if she was acting ever so slightly unhinged.

As they arrived at the van, Carol shot her another piercing glance before disappearing inside to prepare dinner for The Grey. Therese sighed. The Grey sighed, too, making Therese chuckle. Horses would always be horses, even if their owners were perfect, Olympic gold medal winning, absolutely gorgeous women who were enticing and terrifying all at once.

Therese was crouched down next to one of The Grey’s legs when a pair of feet appeared in her peripheral vision.She smoothed down the edge of the wrap that she had applied to the mare’s legs and stood.Carol had ditched her tall boots, trading them for a pair of the clogs that seemed to be ubiquitous, even among the fashionably dressed horsey-types, and had taken off her jacket.Her slightly helmet-mashed hair was held back from her face with a cloth head band in a pattern of cheerful stripes.She was carrying a bucket, and watching Therese curiously, again.The Grey whickered, stretching her neck against the lead that tied her to the van and moving her lips comically in a equine expression of want. 

Carol smiled at the horse’s antics, and Therese smiled, too.She really couldn’t help it.Carol clipped the bucket to the side of van, within The Grey’s reach, and the mare immediately buried her head in it.Crunching sounds filled the air as the horse enjoyed her just reward after her day’s work.

Therese’s heart sank.This was it.There was nothing else for her to do.The horse was taken care of, the tack put away, brushes stowed.There was no conceivable reason for her to stay, but she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye and turn her back on Carol.She wouldn’t do it.

They stood in silence, the moment stretching out almost unbearably, Carol watching her again, a thoughtful expression on her beautiful face.Therese wondered if she was once again contemplating Therese’s odd behavior.

Mercifully, Carol spoke.“I have champagne, to celebrate, if you would like to join me.”

“I would like that,” Therese answered.She could feel herself blushing, and wanted to crawl in a hole to hide her embarrassment, but she would suffer any humiliation to stay in Carol’s company for just a bit longer.

Carol smiled brilliantly at her, and Therese mourned the fact that in the low light of the dusk, she couldn’t see the little crinkles that appeared around her eyes when she did.Perhaps the dusk hid her expression as well, and Carol was similarly unable to see the details of Therese’s emotional struggle written on her face.

“You’re not in a hurry to get on the road?”

Carol shook her head.“I don’t like to haul the horses more than an hour the day of a competition,” Carol explained.“And its nearly four hours back to my place.Had you planned to leave tonight?Or do you have a hotel room somewhere?”

“Ah,” Therese hesitated, suddenly embarrassed again.“No. I have a camper on the back of my truck.I had a really early start this morning, so I was going to take off tomorrow.”She didn’t know why every single thing about herself made her feel self-conscious when it came to this woman. She had nothing to be embarrassed about - she had a cozy little house that meant her bed and belongings went wherever she did.It was convenient and comfortable during a period in her life that had been anything but.She kept her setup as neat and tidy as Carol did hers, so she had nothing to be ashamed about.

Carol smiled at her, like they were sharing a secret, and all embarrassment fled.“A woman of the road?” She husked.“Why don’t you pull your rig over here, and then neither of us will have to go far to pour ourselves in to bed.”

Therese nodded dumbly, dry mouthed at the hint of suggestion in Carol’s voice, and the pop of her hip, and the curl of her lips.Therese knew there was no way she would be over-indulging around the woman, not when she could only nominally control her own motor functions when Carol looked at her.Though Therese also knew she would be pouring herself in to bed, over-indulged or not, because Carol ran through her veins, bright and fizzy and warm, like the champagne they were going to share.

Therese carefully backed her truck in to a position that aligned the door to her camper with the door of Carol’s van.The two vehicles made a nice little courtyard, and tucked away as they were in an out of the way corner of the farm, it was quite private.

When she hopped down from her truck, Carol was watching her from the door of the van, silhouetted by the van’s interior lights, which were bright in the rapidly approaching October night.She had changed clothes, in to a pair of leggings and a long shirt of some kind.Her hair was still held back by the striped head band.She looked delightfully rumpled in a way that made Therese’s stomach knot in pleasure and her mouth go dry.

She met Carol’s gaze, and the other woman smiled that half smile that had been driving Therese crazy all afternoon.

“I’m just going to go, uh,” she jerked her head toward the camper on the back of her truck, “get cleaned up a little.” 

Carol nodded.“There’s no rush,” she said, her smirk turning into a broader smile that prompted Therese to stare dumbly for a moment before turning on her heel and fleeing in to her little sanctuary.

Once inside, Therese leaned back against the door.She could feel herself trembling, like she was coming down from some fight or flight adrenaline rush.And maybe she was.Maybe this afternoon was absolutely pivotal in the story of Therese M. Belivet, because she had never met a person who affected her like Carol Aird did.No one had ever come close.

Was the world really so cruel that it could show her a person like Carol, someone whose smile lit up the dusk like a sun, whose voice thrilled along Therese’s nerves, who made her forget that she was sad, that her life hadn’t been easy, and then give Therese only one night in her presence?It wasn’t fair.Nothing in her life had been fair.Not her mother, dying in childbirth, not her father, dragging her from town to town and track to track, and not her last job, which had shattered the confidence she had had in the one thing she’d been good at in her entire life.

If she only got this one night, a few short hours in which to, once again, experience the world in its full spectrum of colors, then she was going to take advantage of it.She was going to enjoy Carol.She wasn’t going to spend time agonizing over what it meant that she desperately wanted to know Carol, that she just as desperately wanted Carol to know her.Wanting to lay herself bare, metaphorically, before someone was completely foreign to her, and yet, her she was.

If one night was all she could have with this perfect woman, then she would savor it.

Face clean, wearing fresh clothes and bearing two late season Gala apples that she had picked up at a roadside stand the day before, Therese knocked on the van’s doorframe.Carol appeared behind the screen door immediately, beaming at her again, and feeling brave after her introspection, Therese met her eyes and matched Carol’s smile as best she could. 

Stepping back to allow Therese in to the van, Carol exclaimed happily at the apples, taking them straight out of Therese’s hands. 

“These will go very nicely with the little feast I have for us,” she said, smiling at Therese again.She gestured at the little banquette, and the table covered in food - salami, a few cheeses, crackers, what looked like prosciutto, half a baguette, a small bowel of olives.“Please, sit.I’ll slice these and get the champagne open.”

Therese couldn’t help but be charmed.And Carol seemed genuinely enthused to have her there, though Therese was having a hard time not reading in to the rather romantic spread in front of her.The whole atmosphere was a bit romantic: the warm yellow lights in the cozy van, music playing softly in the background, and the smell of hay and the amber-vanilla of what had to be Carol’s perfume.But Therese counted herself recently biased on the matter of romance.

Able to observe Carol without being seen herself, Therese watched her deftly core and slice the two apples, her slender form moving just the littlest bit to the big band accompanying a pretty female voice.She struggled a moment for a topic of conversation, determined to not be strange and silent in this woman’s presence anymore.Considering the circumstances, horses were always a safe bet as a subject.

“Has The Grey won a prix before?” Therese asked. She didn’t ask if Carol had won prix in the past, because someone who had won a gold medal would have some experience with coming in first.

Carol turned and grinned at her, sharing her smile before turning back to the cutting board.“She hasn’t. This is the first time I’ve ever pushed her in the ring, and she did so well for me, which is why we are celebrating. And this is the first prix I’ve won on an animal I bred and trained myself, so it’s doubly momentous.”That last bit she said with a bit of sarcasm, like she was poking fun at herself. Therese didn’t think that was right. 

“It’s quite an accomplishment, to bring an animal all the way up to this level, and beyond” Therese said, trying to impress upon Carol her sincerity. “The way you work together is impressive. And she’s very sweet,” Therese added, unable to resist a comment about The Grey’s personality. 

Carol laughed, turning, carrying the cutting board and the freshly sliced apples to the table. There was hardly room, but Therese hastily cleared a spot, repositioning things as Carol turned again to open the refrigerator, from which she produced a dark glass bottle.With a flourish, she presented it to Therese for inspection.

“La Grande Dame,” she said in an accent that sounded authentic to Therese’s unknowing ears.“It seemed appropriate, considering who we’re celebrating.”

Therese giggled and watched as Carol peeled the foil back from the bottle’s mouth and twisted off the cage that held the cork down.Therese was captivated by her hands, long fingered, deft in their movements as she discarded of the wire and expertly popped the cork free of the bottle.Therese gave a little clap at Carol’s success, and Carol bowed, grinning.Two champagne flutes were waiting on the table.Carol filled them, gesturing for Therese to take one.She slid on to the bench across from Therese, and picked up her own flute, lifting it towards Therese, apparently serious about making a toast to her horse.Therese lifted her drink as well.

“To The Grey, her willingness to do whatever silly thing I ask of her, and her ability to do it well,” Carol intoned, mischief sparkling in her blue, blue eyes.She touched the rim of her glass to Therese’s.They both took a sip, and Therese hummed her delight at how delicious it was.Carol’s lips quirked up in that now (to Therese, anyway) iconic half-smile, watching Therese with something like delight, but she looked away quickly, and busied herself putting cheese and slices of apple on a few crackers.

Therese took that as a cue to begin eating herself.As much as she wanted to learn more about Carol, lunch, half a sandwich while keeping an eye on two students who were meant to be warming their horses up for their classes, had been a long time ago.

They ate quietly, Carol apparently as hungry as Therese was. Although her hands were already occupied, Therese’s fingers itched to curve around the shape of her camera, an urge she hadn’t felt in nearly a year, since the color had drained out of her world. She had tried shooting in black and white for a while, thinking that maybe if her art reflected her view, it might help her reach some sort resolution within herself.

But taking pictures of Carol would be a transcendent experience, even in black and white. Maybe black and white would be preferable - show Carol to the world, but keep the luminous blue of her eyes and the glowing gold of her hair just for Therese, just for her memories.

Therese closed her eyes briefly, wanting to imprint this moment in her mind forever.Everything, from the curve of Carol’s eyebrows, to the slowly rising bubbles in the champagne, is nearly perfect.

“Are you alright?” Carol asks in the same low, concerned voice that she employed earlier when she thought that Richard had been bothering Therese.Therese feels her cheeks flush, and hopes the warm interior of the van might disguise her traitorous cheeks.

“I’m fine,” Therese answers, smiling genuinely, though she may be embarrassed at being caught.“Just enjoying.”

Carol appears pleased at her answer, her eyes softening with one of the genuine smiles that Therese finds so arresting.The fond look on her face was just as arresting, and Therese finds herself unable to look away, unable to break eye contact with the other woman.She was in so much trouble.


End file.
